Rec Room: Christmas Season officially begins for Victoria

The city of Victoria just celebrated the annual Christmas on the Square and Lighted Christmas Parade, officially starting the holiday season in Victoria.

These events are attended by thousands of people every year. We would officially like to thank our partners in these programs. There are many.

Thank you to the sponsors of Christmas on the Square who help provide a free, family-friendly, Christmas experience. Thank you to McDonald's and H-E-B for donating Santa's favorite, milk and cookies, for 1,000 people to enjoy.

Thank you to OneMain Financial, which sponsored the cost of the inflatables and provided volunteers at the inflatables.

Thank you to Pronto Insurance, which sponsored the cost of the giveaways and provided volunteers to assist with the games.

Thank you to Dierlam Feed Store for donating the bales for the hayrides.

Thank you to The Texas Zoo for bringing their petting zoo free of charge for all the visitors to enjoy.

Thank you to the Victoria Public Library for bringing their Children's Story Corner to the event for the little ones to enjoy.

Thank you to the Children's Discovery Museum for providing the snowflake craft for the children.

Thank you to Trinity Lutheran Church Bells of Joyful Sound, Trinity Lutheran Church Choir and First United Methodist Church members for caroling at Christmas on the Square.

Thank you to the 146 parade entries who built floats, marched, danced, cheered, lit up their vehicles and dressed in costume to entertain thousands of people.

Thank you to our city officials who show their support of our events.

Thank you to Mayor Will Armstrong who opened our lighting ceremony in DeLeon Plaza.

Thank you to our judges, Chris Heitzmann, Randy Vivian and Richard McBrayer, who offered their time to judge the parade.

Thank you to O.C. Garza who added so much to the parade by serving as the emcee. And, thank you to the Mainstreet Program and our downtown businesses that participated in the first annual window decorating contest and offered specials for visitors to enjoy.

Then, there are the many groups and individuals who provided crucial behind the scenes support.

Thank you to Computer Command, which provided audio equipment and services for both Christmas on the Square and the Lighted Christmas Parade.

Thank you to the many city departments that provided stellar support: police, fire, public works, parks and recreation, environmental service and emergency services. As a citizen enjoying the events, you may never realize these departments are involved, but we know and very much appreciate them.

Finally, a special thank you to all of the volunteers who gave their time and talents to make this event a success. It truly is a reflection of the spirit of the season to see so many people give of themselves to make something wonderful for other people to enjoy. We can never thank you enough. We have such a variety of volunteer opportunities available at all times.

If you have a talent to share, front of house or behind the scenes, contact the Victoria Parks and Recreation Department at 361-485-3200 or email us at parks@victoriatx.org. We will be happy to add your name to the volunteer pool and contact you when we are creating another spectacular event for our citizens to enjoy.

You can help us to fulfill our mission of making Victoria a better place to live, work and play.

Doug Cochran is the director of parks and recreation for the Victoria Parks and Recreation Department. Contact him at 361-485-3200 or dcochran@victoriatx.org